In your opinion, as a fan, do you prefer to see opposing players on teams that are rivals dislike one another. Or, do you like to hear them say that they've respect for each other and play as competitors, not enemies.

I believe rivalries in professional sports are necessary. They can evoke excitement, anticipation or debate. However, I prefer for these NFL players to act as professionals. That is, if you must trash talk, keep it relevant to the game. Conversely, I dislike when it becomes personal for some of these players.

They ran up the score.
They were yapping during and/or after the game.
He whines...
The better team didn't win.
This is a "revenge game" for us. Or, this is payback.

I think some of you simply are insecure and a sourpuss. Sore losers in sports don't belong. Seemingly, everything is emotionally charged for them.

Next weekend, fans will see two rivalries ignited by emotions, pride and respect. How much motivation can one gain from disliking somebody? Plenty? Yup. There's the incentive...

Baltimore versus Pittsburgh, New York versus New England. Let's hope that there aren't any serious injuries.

To answer my original question, I'll say, I reckon I don't mind when players aren't fond of each other. You aren't paid to...

On the other hand, as fun as it is to watch the team and the players of that team that you aren't a fan of lose. Honestly, it can become tiresome to read or listen to opposing players make themselves a distraction. Or, whenever the local media is involved. Then it becomes a broken record. Actually, I didn't take offense to the New York Post headline, "The Roar Vs. The Bore." My feeling is, whatever helps you to sell newspapers or attract online readership.

"Hell, he knows we hate the Patriots, so what's the difference?" Jets coach Rex Ryan said in response Monday. "That's great. Hey, join the club."

The Patriots quarterback made the comment to Boston sports radio station WEEI when asked whether he was watching HBO's "Hard Knocks."

"Honestly, I haven't turned it on," Brady said. "I hate the Jets, so I refuse to support that show. I'm sure it's great TV. I'm glad people are liking it. But that's just something that I have no interest in watching. I'd love to say a lot of mean things, but I'd rather not do that, either."

Ryan isn't a big fan of Brady or the team that has dominated the AFC East, a status that seems threatened by the Jets' addition of key veterans in the offseason.

"My brother's got a couple of Super Bowl rings," the coach said with a smile. "He loves Tom Brady, but I don't have them, so I don't like Tom Brady. I respect him, but I don't like him."

"As a competitor, yes, you love it, but heck no, I hate playing the Ravens," Roethlisberger said Tuesday on a conference call, according to The Baltimore Sun. "They're so good. Defense, every single person and every scheme, everything they do, it just challenges you. As a competitor, you like that challenge and you like the competitiveness, but man, they're good."

The last time the AFC North rivals met, Dec. 5 at Baltimore, Roethlisberger came away with a broken nose, courtesy of an inadvertent hit to his face by Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata.

Roethlisberger said he knows it wasn't done on purpose, and he even accused the wrong player after the play.

"I have to apologize to Kelly Gregg," Roethlisberger said. "I blamed him for it during the game. I'll have to apologize when I see him on the field. I was giving him a hard time.

"But any time that these two teams play, the winner walks off feeling pretty good about themselves. I know that because I know some of the guys over there and I know what this rivalry means. So like I said, it's always a big-time game."

The war of the words is one thing, but you still have to go out and win the game. Rex Ryan, Antoine Cromartie and teammates, and Terrell Suggs and teammates will eat crow if they fail to back up their boast and defamatory comments.

What I find interesting is, the Jets, Baltimore and Pittsburgh all have a history with New England. A lot of trash talking... Makes you wonder just who are the real villains in all of this.

So deep is the Baltimore Ravens linebacker's dislike of the Pittsburgh Steelers that he's taken to wearing a shirt that reads "You Bet Your Sweet Ass I Hate The Steelers" under his jersey during practice.

Suggs told the Baltimore Sun that he saw the shirt in a store and thought, "oh, that's nice for camp."

"Not me," Revis said when asked if he hates the Patriots. "I canâ€™t speak for everybody else in this locker room. Some people might not like the Patriots and some people couldnâ€™t care less about it. I donâ€™t get into that stuff. I just go out and compete."

"[Brady's comment] doesn't matter," Sanchez said. "It's neither here nor there. We respect the heck out of them. I think he's a great quarterback, it's a great franchise, and we need to bring our best when we play them -- every time."

Which of these 2 great AFC games this weekend do you consider to be the bigger and better rivalry of the two and for what reason?

I think the Pats Jets games have had some great moments starting with the Parcells going to the Jets in the late 90s but I have to give the edge to the Ravens/Steelers since there is more no love loss IMO and they play brutal physical games.

Ravens/Steelers. Those games are always brutal. Pats/Jets I don't really consider it a rivalry seeing that the Patriots have dominated recent years.

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^ exactly what I was going to type.

Pats/Ravens
Pats/Colts
Pats/Steelers

All are more of a rivalry than Pats/Jets, Pats/Ravens is debatable but i'm always more worried about that game. Also debatable because they Ravens have only been worth mentioning recently again since Flacco came.

Steelers / Ravens has just as much lopsidedness as the Patriots / Jets. Look at 2008, the Steelers swept the Ravens three times on their way to a Superbowl. Ravens haven't really beaten the Steelers when it matters.

Easy: Currently Steelers / Ravens. Both have had substantial success the last decade or so, and winning SB's. With the Pats / Jets, one has repeated success, the other is a "wanna-be", whose "one shining moment" was 42 years ago.